An End of Duty
by MoishiMushi
Summary: Sometimes even if what we want is the most beautiful thing that we have yet to realize, the world can just end it in the most unfair ways.


Her nostrils flared as she took a deep breath, calming her quickening heartbeat, her eyes squeezing shut momentarily. If she tried hard enough, she could just blot out the world, die here on this tower and pretend none of this had come to pass, but no. Duty. It was the one constant heart song that thrummed in her veins, drove her when all else had been lost; still drove her when she faced this last task.

The sounds of battle rang around her, time seeming to freeze in this sacred moment, but alas, moments do not last forever. She opened her eyes and stared down her foe as it heaved its soon to be last breathes. Dropping her much-loved daggers, she took a shaky step forward. She began to pick up pace while her hands grabbed a lone sword scattered among the corpses. A great cry filled the din of sound, adding its own dirge of pain, anger, and despair, following the lone Grey Warden on her dashed journey while the small female slid under the great beast, slashing its underbelly from gut to tail only to turn back and with one last sprint and heave, thrust the killing blow through the dying beast's great eye.

* * *

He found her body next to the great beast's head, battered and broken.

"No," he choked.

He stumbled over to her, his face crushed in agony. Dropping to his knees he cradled her head in his dirty, blood-crusted hands. He softly whispered his denial into her soft red hair, refusing to believe that this woman, this light that touched everyone was suddenly gone from his life. She gave him a second chance, gave him air and breathed life back into him as a friend at first but then slowly, after she had been burn, as the beginnings of a lover. Rocking her form gently while weeping he just tried to wrap his head around what had just happened.

He had been dancing around the fresh wave of darkspawn that had come flowing out of the tower, his daggers flashing in the heat of battle, breath puffing out in front of him while he smiled wickedly at each place his blades found home. Behind him, the Warden was doing her best to dance her way around the darkspawn to get back to the archdemon. It's roars shaking the ground as if constantly reminding them, taunting them that it was always just out of distance. The elven archers were finally able to ground it the rest of the way, finishing the damage to the wings that Riordan had started.

He dealt on last blow to his opponent, the gurgling sound of blood escaping through the throat his only thanks, before he turned to see the warden flying onto the air, every bit the deadly sex goddess of his dreams, only to land on the now reachable archdemon. Her blades finding home in the heavy hide of its shoulder. Shale was using as much force to bludgeon her way through her group of darkspawn, slowly making her way to the warden's landing pad. Darkspawn being flung in every direction from her mighty fists while Wynne cast her spells as quickly as she could, keeping them on their feet while deflecting the ire of the disfigured creatures around her. The air was heavy with the dirge of war cries and the smells of death but this battle was glorious to him, a song to be sung many times in the future if they made it. Him and the warden, that was what he thought each time, purpose for a future, purpose to _make_ a future. Cut it from the darkspawn and the heels of an archdemon if he must, but by Andraste's tits he would.  
He heard the cry of the dwarves as they finally made it past the lower blockades, assisting the weary companions with their wall of darkspawn until finally, they were at the stomping feet of the great beast; the warden now hanging on for dear life on the head of the beast. And the companions and him threw everything they had at it: blades dancing anew, rocks flying, a dog biting at any place it could, and the smell of ozone and lyrium burning his nose. Until finally, the beast heaving a great sigh and fell, struggling to get up and show it's furry.

"STOP!" the warden shouted. "EVERYONE, CEASE YOUR ATTACKS ON THE ARCHDEMON! FOCUS ON THE DARKSPAWN NOW!"

Her voice filled the area and the bodies attacking now shifted onto the lesser creatures while the Grey Warden stood in front of her foe, her chest heaving. The wind was playing with her long red hair, blood on her face, daggers clenched in her fists and covered in black blood, he never thought her more beautiful than in that single moment. But fight he must, so he turned. Turned to the horde of darkspawn that were trying desperately to break the line of warriors so they could reach their leader but he would not let it happen. He tried to keep an eye on her as she just stood there, thinking. Tried to pay attention as she grabbed a blade and slit the beast before stabbing through its eye till she hit brain, but then suddenly all he knew was light. Light everywhere and a single voice rose in the most heart-wrenching scream that he had ever heard out of a living beings throat.

And then there was nothing. Silence had taken over everything as the light went away only for every being close to the warden to be thrown back violently by a shock wave. It felt like seconds had passed when his eyes focused again and the sound came back. His eyes looking at the grey sky above him, filled with so much smoke and a single crow flying away, as if disappointed. He sat up and searched his surroundings, seeing the archdemon's great head lifeless with a sword in its eye but next to it, oh next to it is was stopped his heart.

And his heart never started fully after that moment. For something that should have had time to blossom was cut short so soon. He had failed again, and he did not understand how.


End file.
